In central Egypt last summer, a man attacked a doctor and hospital workers with a knife. In a hospital near the Suez canal, the husband of a pregnant woman tried to beat her gynecologist because the couple disagreed with the potential date of birth.
In southern Tunisia, patients threw a chair at a young emergency ward doctor and forced her to lock herself into her office until the police came. She had only told the patient to report to the outpatient’s department rather than emergency.
In Iraq, it is traditional for families and supporters to accompany a patient into hospital. Doctors regularly report threats and violence from these groups if the patient doesn’t improve. A 2021 survey of doctors at Baghdad hospitals found that 87% of them had experienced verbal or physical violence…
